“An amplifier for the native voice” Glucksman Ireland House NYU reflects on 2013

Just a few months before he passed away, the late Irish poet and Nobel Laureate Seamus Heaney described Glucksman Ireland House and the vision of its founders, Lew and Loretta Glucksman, in the following way:

That edifice off 1 Fifth Avenue –
Fit monument to herself and Lew –
Is like a small translated Clonmacnoise,
An amplifier for the native voice

Of Irish writing, culture, scholarship,
An answer given to the famine ship,
A feis, a court of poetry, a seisiún,
Academy and legacy, a boon.
Seamus Heaney, “Lauds for Loretta” February 2013

This year, 2013, has been an extraordinarily busy year at 1 Washington Mews. Since February, a plethora of activities has highlighted the range of this jewel in Greenwich Village: a memorable 20th Anniversary gala, conferences, exhibits, publications, and all this on top of a range of classes offered to undergraduate and graduate students in the fields of Irish and Irish-American Studies.

The dynamism of Glucksman Ireland House NYU in recent months is in keeping with its remarkable first twenty years and is timely context to announcing major new scholarship opportunities for the MA in Irish and Irish American Studies.

An MA Open House will take place from 5-7pm, Friday 31 January 2014 for prospective applicants interested in hearing the experiences of alumni of the MA in Irish & Irish American Studies. A Blarney Star Concert will take place 8pm that same day so why not make an evening of it at Glucksman Ireland House NYU?

Glucksman Ireland House, a landmark townhouse on Fifth Avenue, has been home to New York University’s Center for Irish and Irish American Studies since 1993. Within the MA Program in Irish and Irish-American Studies, you'll have an exceptional opportunity to learn what makes the Irish such a distinctive people and, under the direction of its distinguished faculty, make connections with a vibrant community of students, scholars, and intellectuals. The MA Program in Irish and Irish-American Studies attracts both recent graduates, as well as professionals and retirees returning to school to deepen a lifelong interest in Irish history, politics, literature, culture, language, and society. Full or part-time enrollment and financial aid are available.

TEACHING

Teaching is at the heart of any graduate program. Glucksman Ireland House faculty is led by Joe Lee, Glucksman Professor of Irish Studies and Professor of History, former member of the Irish Senate, and prolific author and commentator on Irish public affairs. With fellow historians Thomas Truxes, Marion Casey, Linda Dowling Almeida, Miriam Nyhan and Nicholas Wolf, the graduate program at Glucksman Ireland House covers nearly six centuries on both sides of the Atlantic, with particular attention to colonialism, emigration, and enduring links between New York City and Ireland. Irish literature scholars John Waters, Greg Londe, and Abby Bender bring insight and inspiration to the teaching of one of the world’s great literary traditions, from Jonathan Swift to Seamus Heaney and beyond. Courses in Irish culture studies are taught by Global Distinguished Professor of Music Mick Moloney and world-renowned dancer and choreographer Jean Butler; and by award-winning Irish-language teacher and native Irish speaker Pádraig O’Cearuill.

RESEARCH

No understanding of Ireland's history or its people is complete without fully recognizing the contributions the Irish have made outside of Ireland, in the Irish diaspora. New York has extraordinary and diverse research collections for Irish studies including that of the New York Public Library and the Archives of Irish America at NYU's Bobst Library, where we preserve a host of rich collections, including NYU Professor Mick Moloney’s unique collection of Irish music and popular culture, and our Archives of Irish America Oral History collection.
VISITING WRITERS AND SCHOLARS

New York is as familiar a home for Irish writers as Dublin itself. Glucksman Ireland House hosts an impressive cast of Irish authors in public readings. The late Seamus Heaney, Edna O’Brien, Joseph O’Connor, and Colm Toibin have all met with Irish Studies students. President Michael D. Higgins delivered a major address on Irish migration, in recognition of the example faculty there had set in producing a truly interdisciplinary approach to the Irish experience. Glucksman Ireland House is where Liam Clancy gave his last New York concert, and where Irish New Yorkers including Pete Hamill, Alice McDermott, Colum McCann and Peter Quinn come home to launch their books.

Take the next step in your Irish journey of discovery from the heart of New York City. Join recent graduates from a wide range of universities, Vice Presidents of major publishing houses, sales managers of large corporations, actors, bankers, and media executives who have joined the MA in Irish and Irish-American Studies. One exemplary graduate is an empty-nest mother of two whose return to university after 30 years sparked a passion inspiring a brilliant thesis, winning her a fully funded PhD fellowship. NYU’s Irish Studies Program is part of a dynamic school in the most dynamic city in the most dynamic country in the world. So there's no surprise that opportunity follows the Irish trail in New York City, as it has for so long, as it will in the future.

You can visit Glucksman Ireland House to attend a sample class. Come along to our MA Open House on Friday 31 January 2014, 5-7pm.